unexpected

even though i didn't luck out enough to have an unexpected bag of apples show up at my house (and i'm much too cheap to actually pay for them!), i did get a surprise last night when my neighbor gave me a BUNCH (ha ha) of grapes from his stash!

what to do, what to do.

grapes are funny. these were super sweet, so i made a quick batch of jam. now, i have about 2 quarts of pulp left, and a couple options. there are recipes for grape pie (that does not sound too appealing to me), fruit leather, and wine, among other things to consider. or, we could just skip the welches for awhile, and drink this instead!

they were fun and quite easy to work with, although the whole kitchen is stained purple now. guess today is cleaning day :)

other "to dos" for the weekend:

• feed the yard with fertilizer/weed killer
• finish insulating the garage
• shelving in garage
• tackle the dang-blasted office closet
• football, football, football

happy sunday all!

the goods

good finds thrifting today. which is a great thing, since supposedly a snowstorm is on its way right now.

i found a great old clock with very nice "lines" and a pretty face. $2.

i got a vintage pie plate, in which a nice apple pie is baking right now.

i scored when i found a cute set of two reindeer, and a sleigh that looks like a leaf. i know they are christmas decorations, but i have a fixation with deer. they are "in" right now, so one of these little guys is going to live on display year round.

ah. now, i can relax.
happy weekend all!

junkin'

so it's friday, and even though i have a load of work to get done today, all i wanna do is visit each one of those little potential treasure spots on the map above. i cannot believe it's way into october, and garage sale season is still going strong! bring em on!

strongly coinciding with my dream to someday have an artsy store/studio here in town, is the desire to hit every rummage sale and estate sale ever held. i have even gotten phillip into the gig, as he wants to go to "the world's longest yard sale" with me and a uhaul next summer.

i cannot STAND how much i love junkin.!!!

i just seem to find the coolest things. lately, i have been fixated on clocks, old books and magazines with good design, and fabric. of course, fabric.

i have decided i may have to rent a shop space just to HOLD all of the great finds! i challenge each and every one of you to go and buy something old for $1 or $2 dollars today, and see if you don't love it too :)

grateful

sigh. what could be better than october days with sun and sixty degree temps? i am just feeling so grateful. every day i wake up and cannot believe it's still nice out!

it makes such a difference in the middle of a day full of "life stuff" to be able to go outside, take a deep breath and look around. thank you Lord!

ps. please say a prayer for Phil and i today, if you think of us. He lost his job yesterday, so "on we go" for another roller coaster ride. please help us to take our motion pill(s) first!

i want this

tell me i can have it :)

cdd

so, i'm 44 squares into my 169 square crochet project.

i am waning a bit, though. i mean, after about 36 squares, it's kinda "been there, done that." however, i am determined to stick with it to the end...which hopefully will coincide with the end of 2008.

unfortunately, not so determined that my eyes did not wander a bit to see what else i might be able to dream up.

i found these books, and promptly ordered both. maybe a little eye candy will not hurt my dedication to the 169 project. ya think?

in progress

boy, if life isn't one step forward, two steps back. nothing demonstrates this more than home ownership. take a look at the lovely back entrance to the house that i am now dealing with, courtesy my own brilliant (ie, stupid) idea to replace the door to the garage.

i'd been dealing with a crappy, flimsy, window paned door that's let entire BLIZZARDS in the house for 5 years. so this summer, i got a great solid wood door at the habitat for humanity REstore. thing is, i didn't realize that we would also have to deconstruct the whole frame around the door in order to replace it. so far, this is a 3-trips-to-menards special. wish me luck that it won't take many more.

and please God, don't let the blizzards start today.

change of plans

no, i did not clean the #$%^&*( closet this weekend.

i really think i need professional help! at the very least, i need somebody to help me figure out what kind of shelving structure(s) i need to buy.

anyway, i still tried to organize my life. somewhat.

i decided to add a little $12 bookcase to my kitchen nook, so that i have somewhere to put extra kitchen stuff. it's not the most beautiful sight in the world, but it's nice to be able to find my flour bin when i need it.

mostly i spent the day yesterday in BED. on purpose. feeling kind of sleepy tired, but happy to have a day to rest. started reading this book while i was there.


i bought it in a clearance bin, and just now i had to order the follow up books on amazon. it's funny, there was no mention on the cover that this group of women was a "christian prayer group" but THAT is why i like it. i can relate to the silliness of sharing so much of yourself with a group of women, but still being a little afraid to put it ALL out there.

yes?

cast your vote. ps. i would get the brown version.

good thing

oh, i love saturday. i started out today drinking my cuppa, and looking at the pretty ribbon (6 rolls!) i found on clearance at michaels this past week. what to do with it? well, looking at it seems to suffice for now.


in other news, today i have plans to a) imitate siesta, and look for the nearest sunbeam;



and b) organize my office closet so that i can actually open the door. outward appearances are sometimes deceiving, are they not?!



happy weekend!

another dream

not too long ago, my blog friend's were posting "what you might not know about me" posts. karen even let out her deep dark secret of wanting to be a writer.

it got me thinking about my dream. the one i mention casually (probably more than i think) and cast aside because a) i'm too old; b) it would probably fail; and c) i am too tired to chase a big dream like that, because my life is easy right now.

the funny thing about dreams is, they usually don't go away. most of the time my dream kind of sits on the sideline, but occasionally it's awakened when i see somebody else doing the same thing.

case in point. take a look at this woman who just opened her first retail store. it's called yummy goods (i added it to my blog roll, too). don't you just LOVE her aesthetic? is it just me, or is that the happiest place on earth? she is a fabric designer (another dream, but one i just may not have been born with the skillset for), and i think she has a great sense of style.



i'm not sure my store would be exactly like this. well, it probably wouldn't be. but there would be SOME similar things. like comfy old couches, and a pot of yummy coffee always on, and maybe a plate of gooey rice krispy bars for fun.



i even have a place picked out. i cannot even tell you how many times i have made this little shack over in my head. it's about 2 blocks from my house in a HORRIBLE location for a retail store. it's probably WAY too tiny, too. and as far as i know, it's not even for sale! but the pale green color is good, don't you think? for some reason, it holds out hope for a dream, somewhere, somehow....

happy thursday all.

wooden

i just love etsy. i could spend all day there. sometimes, i do.

for some time now, i have been looking fondly at this site called wooden mouse. for SOME REASON, i love her stuff. i just want one of everything. in every color.

weird dreams

so last night i was a bit stressed. i have a bunch of things to get done this week, and i'm getting tired of running on empty all the time. i shouldn't be surprised that my dreams reflected the weirdness.

ever since i quit my job 7 years ago, my old workplace has replaced my elementary school as the "nightmare" location of all my stress dreams. it kind of makes me laugh. i can somehow tell where i am in the dreams, but it's a strange deconstructed building, a mass of staircases and conveyor belts that lead to nowhere, and are challenging to navigate. every once in awhile i run into some former coworker, usually the ones i least want to see. last night, i was there with my childhood friend, and we were having a hard time getting around because there were stacks and stacks of old books on the stairs, and i found myself falling over them.

i was relieved and excited to pick one up, and see that it was a Bible! until i discovered that all the pages were in a language i could not understand, and as i tried to look thru the book, the pages disintegrated and fell apart. frantically, i paged to the beginning of the book, and it somehow became a pop up book, with all kinds of neat embroidery projects woven into the pages! cool elves and butterflies and woodland stuff! the whole project was actually sewn into the pages of the book, along with instructions on how to make it! and my childhood friend turned in kristie lou, who was just as excited as me!

i woke up feeling fine. and thinking that a bible/craft book might not be such a bad concept :))

ha.


ps. i took the accompanying photo from this website:
http://www.michaelrossiter.com.au/Soldworks.htm

i like his work, don't you?

he's got the whole world ...

did you ever sing that song in the 70s? if you did, sing along with me, 'cause it is stuck in my head now...

i admit i never really think much about God in the WORLD, mostly just God in MY world. my immediate world, that is. in my daily life, my city, and often my country, what with the economic mess we are in, and the big decision about whether obama or mccain is the answer to it all...

so yesterday when pastor kicked off "missions month" in our church, i was glad to have my eyes opened somewhat. his sermon was about God in the world, and it was meant to open us up to the fact that He IS working incredibly, amazingly, astonishingly, BIGLY. everywhere!

our scripture base for the sermon was from not-very-oft quoted habakkuk (1:5):

Look at the nations and watch— and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.

the point was that unless we look around, we might miss the fact that Jesus is moving in a greater way on our earth than ever before in the history of mankind. some examples:

Africa - 65% of the country of Ghana is Christian, which makes it the most Christian nation on earth. did you know that america does not send the most missionaries out in the world? that africa is currently sending a huge influx of missionaries to do work in NEW YORK CITY?

China - now has 80 million believers, growing at 5x the birthrate there. over 30,000 per day are converting to Christianity.

Australia - has seen 1000% growth in Christianity since 1990.

Ukraine - hosted the greatest revival in history, in kiev, with millions saved.

Russia - now 36% Christian, compared to 25-28% for America. Public schools in Russia now teach children from the Bible.

Latin America - now up to 50 million believers. Countries such as Chile, Bolivia and Costa Rica are now over 40% Christian. Puerto Rico has the highest number of Christians per square foot on the planet.

Japan - Bible is the best selling book.

Korea - In 1900, there were 0 churches. Today, 6 new churches per day are being built.


The real picture is that Christianity is EXPLODING across the ends of the earth. Growth of new believers over the last 10-12 years has exponentially been much larger than since the time Christ walked the earth. THAT is reality. THAT is my world.

i'm so grateful, and excited, and i really have to remember not to forget :)

ps. i think this is information from Assemblies of God specifically. "believers" or "new believers" means born-again believers, if that is the case. don't ask me to confirm my math, i was just taking notes really, really fast...he he.

square pegs

well, there are officially a couple of crazy crocheters loose in sioux falls as of saturday. lou mastered her pattern with ease, she is AMAZINGly adept at picking up new craft skills. look out design camp, here she comes...also, take a look at the cute "hook holder" she whipped up to hold her supplies! love. it.




i, on the other hand, just went nuts for squares. i asked kristie if it was okay if i changed my mind, and make a granny crochet blanket, too. cause you know, we are twins. she said it was okay :) my pattern is from a book i have from 1976. i love the color combinations too much. i have a slight headache this morning from them, actually. but, i also have the goods to show for it.



i really wish crocheting burned calories :)



i should note that most of the crocheting above took place during sunday afternoon (and night) football. thank goodness i am starting to like it, since phillip is glued to the couch on sundays. yesterday, i had fun remembering the old days, when i was a girl in love with seattle quarterback jim zorn. today, he's a rookie head coach for the washington redskins, who won yesterday in a great game against evil dallas.

looks like i have a new favorite team, too :)

play date

c'mon over Lou, i am all ready to go!

fringe

as i mentioned in my last post, i am kind of into tv with my crochet. the two are good companions for the serious multitasker. if you don't believe me, just ask kirsten. she can drive, watch tv AND crochet all at once!

so lately we are kind of getting into this new show, fringe, on fox. it's weird and kind of creepy but interesting. it reminds me of "the x files" only i like the main characters better. so far.

last night a guy threw some kind of weird gas on a bus, and it crystalized into a solid and encapsulated the bus inhabitants inside. and a woman had a baby instantaneously after she had sex with this guy, and the "baby" died of old age four hours later. and the heroes of the show figured BOTH of the scenarios out in the end.

c'mon. it's plausible! or maybe i was concentrating more on the crocheting right then :)

cozee

so, every night lately has been the same. make dinner, eat dinner, wash dinner dishes, turn on the tv, and crochet, crochet, crochet. i was kind of doing it last year too, but it seems to have begun early this year.

i'm having fun, on my mission to finish the brown squares afghan from last year. besides wanting to use it to cuddle with in the cold, i have another motivation to get it finished. next up on the list is THIS.


isn't this crazy beautiful? this is the semi-famous "babette" blanket that is all over the internet. i have wanted to make one ever since i first happened upon it online. finally bought the pattern a couple of months ago, but promised i would NOT start it until i finished my brown project.

yesterday, i could see the end coming, so i went yarn shopping! i fondled the $5.99 a skein wool yarn, before seeing a whole endcap of cream and brown acrylic for 99 cents a skein on clearance. sorry lisa, but i just could not do it. i'll be making another acrylic afghan, so that i can afford to make lots of them. i did pick soft and nice acrylic yarn, if that is any consolation. i'll need to be picking up some more colors, but i should have enough to get me started. not quite yet, but soon.


maybe this fall stuff isn't so bad after all :)

anti gloom

crap. i can see it coming, and i am not ready. even though it's still unseasonably warm here, it's been rainy/grey/gloomy on and off for the last 2 days.

which immediately starts me thinking that IT is coming. and i am not ready.

fortunately, i went outside to try to face the fear. and in the midst of the garden jungle, the dead stuff and sadness, i found these 5 gladiola stems. planted long ago from a 99cent pack of stuff, and forgotten.

they were half laying, half standing, and seem like a beacon of hope. at least for today! although they don't make a super cool bouquet or anything, they do make me happy as they sit right by my computer and remind me that all things work together for good.

week ends

wow. what a wonderful weekend. i am so grateful for these warm, soft fall days. saturday spent with "the girls" - thrifting and talking and dodging real work, and sunday spent cleaning and baking and hosting six great women who craft. just like me. thank you janet and cassie and marnie and lou and sarah and sara! i treasure days like yesterday. even though it's only in my head, cause i never remember to take pictures! so glad the suitcases will go to good homes. mine is happy in it's place, holding all the things i need to get me through the night :)


enjoying the new windows immensely. so are all the little clippings that live on the kitchen windowsill now. these guys will be a welcome cheer in january, don't you think?


and somebunny else loves the windows too. so very glad to give her this desire of her heart.



happy monday all!

mabel before

wow. mabel is looking a bit better with age. she was always kinda cute though, huh?

mabel's new day

well, mabel had her "makeover" yesterday. 12 new windows installed. i was worried about how hard it would be, but the Lowes guy made it look easy. i was also worried about the color on the exterior, but i guess it's fine. not exactly as good as before, but it's hard to duplicate 1930 without spending more money than you have. anyway, i slept with a cool breeze last night, for the first time in a VERY long time! life is good.


in other news, the hollyhocks i planted in the spring (very small when you put them in) are quite beautiful now. i don't really have enough room for them, but who cares. they are pretty.


and in a strange twist, i noticed THIS today. that's a melon. and yeah. that's a birdfeeder (guess the birds were hungry). um. how do you suppose it decided to go up THERE to grow?!

happy friday, y'all!

oh, THAT

so yesterday i finally got around to making the infamous salsa verde. the first round of tomatillos had to be thrown away, but more had grown where they came from. my first impression of the stuff was that it smelled AND tasted sort of like ... grass. albeit freshly cut grass, but still. it was very very green, and very very weird.

determined not to give up, i put some on a few nachos and cheese. tasted like nachos with grass on top.

then today, i looked at the recipe again to see if i missed an ingredient (it DOES need garlic, i could tell that) and dang if i did not miss this part:

Cut in half and place cut side down on a foil-lined baking sheet. Place under a broiler for about 5-7 minutes to lightly blacken the skin.

apparently that is the part that makes the stuff taste cooked, and not like a lawn.

oh well. there is always next year to try again.